MOUNT TABOR BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY (1817-1834), Anderson County, SC
a.k.a. Anderson Baptist & Anderson First Baptist
Version: 3.0 Effective: 19-Oct-2006 Text File: A101.TXT Image Folder: A101
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REPRODUCING NOTICE:
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recording contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact
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Paul M Kankula - nn8nn
(visit above website)
SCGenWeb "Golden Corner" Project Coordinator
Anderson: http://www.sciway3.net/scgenweb/anderson-county/
Oconee: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/oconee.html
Pickens: http://www.rootsweb.com/~scpicke2/
DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in May-2006
Debbie Kellogg in Oct-2006
GPS MAPPING .... : Gary L. Flynn at (visit above website) in May-2006
HISTORY ........ : ____________ at ____________ in _______
IMAGES ......... : Paul M. Kankula at (visit above website) in -2006
RECORDING ...... : ____________ at ____________ in _______
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CEMETERY LOCATION:
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1.5 miles south of the City of Anderson.
GPS Latitude N34 28.939 x Longitude W82 39.140
CEMETERY HISTORY:
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o----------o
Churches come into existence when there is a need. Such was the case of the
Anderson Baptist/Anderson First Baptist Church. Originally established as
the Mount Tabor Baptist Church. It was located 1.5 miles south of the City of
Anderson - where the Saluda Baptist Association Office now stands.
1817, Rev. James Burriss began his ministry there in a brush arbor.
1819, a log house of worship replaced the arbor and the church became a mission
of the Shockley Ferry Baptist Church.
July 1821, Mount Tabor Baptist was constituted as an independent church with 56
members. Sanford Vandiver was the first pastor, a position that he filled until
1842.
1822, the church was admitted to the Saluda Baptist Association.
1834, the congregation of 86 people moved into the Village of Anderson. A small
white frame building was erected on the present site and the name was changed to
the Anderson Baptist Church. From that time to the present, the church, in order
to meet the growing needs of its members, built new buildings, purchased
additional properties, and added new facilities.
o----------o
Grave reinterments were done by the Sullivan-King Mortuary (401 N Main,
Anderson, SC 29621, 864-225-5431), due to the construction of Highway 81 south,
out of the City of Anderson. The Saluda Baptist Associations (1901 S. Murray
Ave, Box 13005, Anderson, SC 29624, 864-225-7759, fax 864-226-7591,
http://www.saludaBaptist Church.org/) building & parking lot now occupies the
area where the old church & cemetery was once located. Highway 81 cut into the
west side of the cemetery. Jack Gilliland at 864-225-8718 did the grave
reinterments when he owned the mortuary.
Neighbors living just to the south of the Saluda Baptist Association building,
claim that only graves having tombstones were moved and that the others marked
with field stones or unmarked, were simply covered up by the highway. Bones
that were exposed during the road grading, were simply reburied in-between the
current railroad tracks and Highway 81. Common metal mortuary markers were
placed at each bone reinterment. As of May-2006, scrub brush has completely
taken over this new burial area and you would never know that anything was
buried there. Because mortuary markers are designed for temporary use, the ones
used to mark these human-remain bone locations have probably rusted away.
There is no historical roadside or on-site memorial marker, indicating that
there ever was a church or cemetery in this area. Descendants can't even
determine where the graves of their love-ones were reinterred. An excellent
example of disgraceful desecration of human remains!
17-Mar-2006, Senator Martin of Walhalla wrote the SC DOT and Funeral &
Cemeteries Boards asking where the graves were reinterred. No reply.
10-Apr-2006, SC DOT Chief Archaeologist Wayne Roberts was asked this
question. No reply.
Early-2006, Sullivan-King Funeral Home was asked this question. No
reply.
22-Feb-2006, Jack Gilliland said that the graves were reinterred all
over the City of Anderson. No other details were remembered.
These graves were probably moved in the early 1950's.
o----------o
1817-1834, Mount Tabor Baptist (membership moved to the Village of Anderson
in 1834)
1834-1892, Anderson Baptist (changed name when new church was established in
1834)
1892-Present, Anderson First Baptist (changed name in 1892)
o----------o
HISTORY OF ANDERSON COUNTY
Mt. Tabor was the Baptist house of worship for the people of the village until 1834, when it was
removed to the site of the First Baptist Church. The land was conveyed by Micajah Webb, a brother
of Edmund and Elijah Webb, to Sanford Vandiver in trust for the church, and a frame building
erected to the north of the present location, covering a part of what is the grave yard. The street
now known as Church ran through where the building now stands. In 1853 a new brick church was to
be erected, and Colonel J.P. Reed, who had a keen eye for a good effect and was endowed with artistic
taste, procured permission from the town council to close the street, and place the church at its head,
and there the Baptist Church stands today commanding the approach, and looking down the whole vista
of the street. Reverend J.S. Murray was pastor when the brick building was erected.
Although the early Saluda Association was anti-missionary, all of the Baptist ministers were by
no means of the like opinion. In the 30s or 40s B.F. Mauldin, a lay preacher of that faith; Amaziah
Rive, Sanford Vandiver and some others formed a missionary society which did much to change public
opinion. Mr. Mauldin was in the habit of preaching wherever preaching was needed almost without
salary. In the early 30s he came to Anderson and opened a mercantile establishment. Associated with
him was his brother, J.L. Mauldin, and his nephew, B. F. Crayton, was his clerk. Later Mr. Mauldin's
health failed and he sold the business to Mr. J. L. Mauldin and Mr. Crayton and moved to Calhoun.
After going to the country he preached to four churches, one each Sunday in the month, driving
about eighteen miles to reach them. Upon being asked once by his clerk, John C Whitfield, later
"Squire Whitfield', how much he got for his services, he replied-"Well, last year I got from the four
of them, 98 dollars." The young man looked at him a money, when said, "Well, you know your own
business, but before I would work for them for such a sum, they might all die and go to hell."
The squire never thought much of either churches or preachers, although he was a descendent
of George Whitfield. In his later years through the influence of his lovely wife he joined the
Methodist Church. However, if all church members were as honest, true and genuinely kindly as he
was, the churches would never be accused of harboring hypocrisy.
Gleaned From: Traditions & History of Anderson County by Louise Ayer Vandiver
TOMBSTONE TRANSCRIPTION NOTES:
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a. = age at death
b. = date-of-birth
d. = date-of-death
h. = husband
m. = married
p. = parents
w. = wife
Approx. 150 graves